Viral moment: furry coati steals a bag of snacks from a sunbather's table on a Brazilian beach

This is the hilarious moment a coatis snatched a bag of chips from a table before chasing it down a beach in Brazil.

A viral video showed the furry creature approaching the picnic table on Campeche island in the southern state of Santa Catarina as it was sniffing for food when it caught the attention of beachgoers.

The animal grabbed the bag with its mouth and began to run away quickly when a woman at the table was startled by the uninvited visitor.

A man could be seen standing in front of the four-legged creature trying to prevent it from leaving with its snack.

At first the coati turned out to be a little too fast before the sun worshiper finally overtook him and managed to wrestle the bag of chips away.

A man runs after a coati on a beach in Santa Catarina before recovering the bag of chips the four-legged creature stole from his table

Michael Cordeiro told Brazilian news channel G1 that he recorded the confrontation because it was rare for Coati to be seen up close.

'It's very unpretentious. “I only filmed it because it's not common for me to see a coati…,” he said. 'I was filming the cute coati. Out of nowhere he takes it and tries to steal the packets of potatoes from the people who were on the beach.”

Coatis are native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America and South America.

Brazil's Environmental Police are urging people not to feed the animals, warning that they could bite.

Christian Raboch, a biologist, told the newspaper that people should refrain from providing food to coatis because they can quickly become accustomed to food that humans eat.

“So when they see humans, they think humans are a source of food,” he explained. “And then they come to get a banana, they come to get a snack, some popcorn.”

Coatis are natives of the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America

Authorities warn people against approaching coatis because they fear health problems could arise if bitten

Raboch warned that coatis could develop “health problems” if they consume processed foods.

“They start to increase the fat content, they become slower and quieter, apart from the other complications that can eventually cause,” he said.

While the man came out on the victorious end of the confrontation by retrieving the bag of chips – prompting laughter from beachgoers – Raboch said the incident could have had serious consequences.

'Moreover, people sometimes want to take it back and the animal can end up defending itself. It's a wild animal. From the moment it is cornered, it may fear that it will scratch, bite or even transmit a disease to humans,” he said.